Full & Part-Time Remote Medical & Healthcare Writing Careers — Guide for Africa (100+ platforms & certs)

Levi Cheptora

Tue, 21 Oct 2025

Medical & healthcare writing is a realistic remote career for clinicians, pharmacists, public-health pros and allied health workers. Roles range from regulatory/clinical-trial writing and medical-education to content for health websites, patient education, grant writing and social media health content. Build credibility with a small, well-curated portfolio, a few targeted free courses (e.g., Writing in the Sciences), ICH-GCP basics for clinical work, and by pitching to CROs, health media, NGOs and telehealth startups. Below you’ll find concrete certifications, portfolio + LinkedIn optimisation hacks, myth-busting, and a curated list of 100+ platforms and employers to check today.

Key market signals: there are hundreds of remote medical-writer listings on mainstream boards (LinkedIn, Indeed, ZipRecruiter) and large CROs and medical communications agencies regularly hire remote writers. LinkedIn+2Indeed+2

Who this is for

• Clinicians, nurses, pharmacists, public-health professionals and allied-health pros who want flexible/remote income.

• Africans seeking international, hybrid or fully remote medical writing / communications work.

• People who want to convert clinical experience into paid writing work without doing a full-time PhD.

Types of remote medical & healthcare writing roles (what you can do)

1. Regulatory & Clinical Trial Writing — clinical study reports, protocols, investigator brochures (usually CROs/pharma).

2. Publications & Medical Communications — manuscripts, abstracts, slide decks, conference materials.

3. Medical Education / eLearning Content — slide scripts, case studies, online course content.

4. Health Journalism & Consumer Health Content — articles for WebMD, Healthline, regional health media.

5. Patient Education & Community Content — leaflets, SMS scripts, illustrated guides for LMIC settings.

6. Grant & Proposal Writing — NGOs, research groups, and funders.

7. Regulatory Labeling & Marketing Medical Copy — product leaflets, website copy (requires awareness of local regs).

8. Editing, Peer Review & Translation — language editing, plain-language summaries.

9. Social Media & Health Comms — short posts, scripts for video, health campaigns.

10. Scientific & Data Visualization Writing — figures, infographic copy, lay summaries.

How to get started step-by-step (fast start plan)

1. Pick a niche (e.g., clinical trials oncology, maternal health, infectious disease, patient education for chronic disease).

2. Take 1–2 short courses (free options recommended below) and complete the exercises to produce portfolio pieces. Evidence: short, accredited/recognized courses significantly lower the barrier to entry. Coursera+1

3. Create 3 sample pieces: 1 clinical summary, 1 consumer article, 1 slide deck or plain-language summary. Host on a simple portfolio (GitHub Pages, Carrd, or a PDF).

4. Set up LinkedIn (see optimisation hacks section). Start posting thread analyses of clinical papers or patient-education microposts weekly.

5. Apply to 10 targeted places per week: 3 CROs, 3 health media, 4 freelance posts. Use the curated list below.

6. Ask for small paid trials (e.g., $50–$200 per short piece) — many editors accept short paid tests.

7. Keep learning GCP & ethics for clinical/regulatory work (free GCP training listed below). Grants.gov+1

Certifications / licences / courses (free & paid, with resources)

Free / low-cost (high impact)

• Writing in the Sciences (Stanford — Coursera) — free to audit; excellent practical training for scientific writing and speed. Coursera

• OpenWHO — WHO’s free public-health courses for emergency, clinical and communication topics (great for public-health content credibility). openwho.org

• NIH / NIHR / Biopharma Institute free GCP — Good Clinical Practice training (required for many clinical trial writing gigs). Grants.gov+1

• Alison & other MOOC GCP courses — free GCP introductions (certificate for a fee). Alison

Paid but career-beneficial

• AMWA (American Medical Writers Association) courses / Medical Writing Certificate (MWC) — strong industry recognition for medical communications. amwa.org

• EMWA professional development / workshops — useful if you want to specialize in pharma medical writing. EMWA

• ISMPP / CMPP (Certified Medical Publication Professional) — for publication planning / medical affairs tracks (paid, exam-based). ismpp.org

What to prioritise

• If you want clinical/regulatory writing: GCP + one pharma-centred program (EMWA/AMWA) or a portfolio showing CRF/CSR excerpts.

• If you want content/health journalism: Writing in the Sciences + samples published on a blog/Medium.

• If you want grants/NGO comms: sample grant sections + an evidence-based writing course.

Debunking common myths (evidence-backed)

Myth 1: “You must have a PhD to do medical writing.”
Fact: Many medical writing roles (consumer health, patient education, some regulatory writing) hire clinicians, nurses, pharmacists and strong science communicators with clinical experience and targeted training. Major hiring platforms list hundreds of remote medical writer roles at entry and mid levels. Indeed+1

Myth 2: “Freelance platforms pay very little — not worth it.”
Fact: Rates vary hugely. Freelance platforms are useful for early portfolio building and steady short gigs; experienced medical writers on Upwork/ZipRecruiter/independent contracts command $40–$150+/hour for specialist work. Use platforms to build reputation, then move to direct contracts. ZipRecruiter

Myth 3: “Only US/UK writers get remote health writing jobs.”
Fact: Many agencies and CROs hire globally for remote roles. African healthtech firms and NGOs also hire regionally for content and communications. Use targeted platforms + local job sites (BrighterMonday, Fuzu, Jobberman) to find regional roles. BrighterMonday+1

Myth 4: “Certifications are mandatory.”
Fact: Certifications help for specialist pharma/regulatory tracks. For consumer health and public-health writing, a strong portfolio + domain knowledge + demonstrable writing is often enough. EMWA/AMWA/CMPP are credentials that accelerate trust with larger employers. EMWA+1

What actually works (and why)

• Niche + portfolio — Employers hire specialists who can show domain knowledge. A clinician who can write clearly about noncommunicable disease management is more valuable to certain clients than a generalist. (Works because it reduces client onboarding and risk.)

• Continuous micro-publishing (LinkedIn threads, short blog posts) — builds discoverability and authority. (Works because editors and hiring managers search LinkedIn and Google for thought leadership).

• Short paid trial pieces — lowers friction for first hire and often leads to repeat work. (Works because clients prefer to test before committing.)

• Pair GCP/regulatory basics with clinical experience for CRO roles — clinicians with even basic GCP familiarity jump the queue. (Works because regulatory writing requires compliance awareness.)

LinkedIn & personal portfolio optimization hacks (quick, high-ROI)

1. Headline = role + niche + value:
   e.g., “Physician → Medical Writer | Clinical trials (infectious disease) | Plain-language summaries & slide decks”

2. About section: 3 short lines — who you are, what you do (deliverables), way to hire you (link to portfolio + email). Add a 2-line success metric if possible (“30+ patient guides used by X clinic, 5 peer-reviewed abstracts”).

3. Featured section: pin 3 portfolio pieces — a published article, a slide deck, and a clinical summary PDF. Host files on a small site (Carrd/GitHub Pages) or Google Drive with public links.

4. Skills & endorsements: include “Medical Writing”, “Clinical Research”, “Health Communication”, “Editing”, plus therapy area skills (e.g., “HIV”, “Diabetes”). Ask 3 former supervisors/clients for short recommendations.

5. Network the right way: send a short note referencing one of the person’s posts or publications before asking about work. Don’t cold-DM “Are you hiring?” — instead: “Loved your piece on X — I wrote a plain-language summary on Y; could I send it?”

6. Rates on profile?: Show ranges for freelance work in your profile or portfolio (e.g., “Short articles $50–$200; slide decks from $200”) — this filters serious clients.

7. SEO your portfolio: include keywords (medical writer, clinical summaries, plain language) and region tags (e.g., Nairobi, Lagos) so local clients find you.

Fee setting — rough guides for African freelancers

• Short consumer article (500–800 words): $30–$200 (depending on outlet & expertise)

• Scientific summary / lay summary (1–2 pgs): $50–$250

• Slide deck (10–20 slides with speaker notes): $150–$800

• Clinical protocol sections / CSR drafting: $500–$3,000+ per document (usually contracted through agencies/CROs)
  Start low to win first clients and increase by 20–40% every 6–12 months with testimonials and published pieces.

100+ Curated, Categorized List — where to apply, pitch, and pitch smart

Note: hiring status changes daily. This list contains platforms, agencies, companies, startups, NGOs and publications that commonly recruit for remote/online medical & healthcare writing, communications, editorial and related roles. Use company careers pages and LinkedIn for current openings.

Global job boards & remote hubs

1. LinkedIn Jobs — large volume of remote medical writer roles. LinkedIn

2. Indeed (remote medical writer filters). Indeed

3. Glassdoor (company reviews + jobs). Glassdoor

4. ZipRecruiter (remote writing roles). ZipRecruiter

5. Monster

6. SimplyHired

7. FlexJobs (paid but curated remote listings)

8. Remote.co

9. WeWorkRemotely

10. Remote OK

Freelance marketplaces & creator platforms

11. Upwork

12. Fiverr

13. Freelancer.com

14. PeoplePerHour

15. Guru

16. SolidGigs (leads)

17. Medium Partner Program (health articles)

18. Substack (build readership & paid subscribers)

Africa-focused job boards & talent platforms

19. BrighterMonday (Kenya) — major Kenyan board. BrighterMonday

20. Fuzu (East Africa) — career platform. Fuzu

21. Jobberman (Nigeria & Ghana)

22. MyJobMag (Nigeria & pan-Africa)

23. MyJobsInKenya

24. TATC / The African Talent Company. TATC Africa

25. Roam/ROAM jobs (regional affiliates)

26. Careers in Africa portals on VC4A / startup ecosystem job boards

27. Glassdoor Africa country pages

Health & medical job boards (global / specialised)

28. Health eCareers

29. Medscape / Medscape Careers (editorial roles). LinkedIn

30. BMJ Careers (clinical/editorial roles)

31. The Lancet Jobs / Elsevier jobs

32. PharmaJobs / PharmiWeb.jobs (pharma/CRO roles). pharmiweb.jobs

33. ClinicalTrials.gov — listing organizations and links to trial teams (indirect lead source)

34. Devex (global development & NGO jobs)

35. Global Health Jobs (Global Health Council listings)

36. WHO Careers & OpenWHO opportunities (technical writers/communication posts). openwho.org

Large CROs & Contract Medical Communications companies (regularly hire writers)

37. IQVIA (medical writing & analytics). CCRPS Clinical Research Taininrg

38. Parexel (medical writing team). jobs.parexel.com

39. ICON plc (medical affairs & writing). ICON

40. Syneos Health

41. Labcorp / Covance

42. Medpace

43. Charles River Laboratories (where relevant)

44. PRA Health Sciences (part of ICON ecosystem)

45. Lindus Health (clinical CRO & writing)

46. Cactus Communications / Editage (scientific editing & writing)

47. Enago (editing services)

Pharma / Biotech companies that hire medical writers (check career pages)

48. Novartis

49. Pfizer

50. Roche / Genentech

51. Merck (MSD)

52. Johnson & Johnson

53. AstraZeneca

54. Smaller biotech hubs and startups (search on LinkedIn)

Health media, consumer health & editorial outlets (content roles)

55. Healthline (editorial jobs). Healthline Media

56. WebMD (health content writers). LinkedIn

57. Medical News Today (Everyday Health/Healthline family)

58. Verywell Health

59. MedPage Today

60. Global Health Now (Johns Hopkins)

61. The Conversation Africa (op-eds & explainers)

62. Africa Health Business (regional healthcare publishing)

63. Devex (health development articles)

64. African Exponent & similar regional outlets. The African Exponent

Telemedicine, digital health & African HealthTech startups (hire writers/comms)

65. Helium Health (Nigeria) — EMR & telemedicine; hiring comms and product content. ducitblue.com

66. mPharma (Ghana/Nigeria)

67. 54gene (Nigeria — genomics)

68. LifeBank (Nigeria — medical logistics)

69. MyDawa (Kenya)

70. Ilara Health (Kenya)

71. RelianceHMO

72. CribMD (telemedicine)

73. Blueroomcare / Doxx / Talamus Health (examples from startup lists). Tracxn+1

74. Other regional startups listed on StartupList / Tracxn / VC4A (great for outreach). startuplist.africa+1

NGOs, global health organisations & funders (communications, proposal, technical writing)

75. World Health Organization (WHO) — technical writers and consultants. openwho.org

76. UNICEF (communications & health content)

77. MSF / Doctors Without Borders (communications)

78. PATH (global health comms)

79. FHI 360 (grants & comms)

80. Jhpiego (implementation & comms)

81. CDC (US Centers for Disease Control — communications roles)

82. African CDC (Africa CDC)

83. Gates Foundation (grant writing/communications)

84. Gavi, Global Fund (proposal & communications teams)

Academic & scientific publishers (editorial, medical affairs, freelance)

85. Elsevier (many editorial roles)

86. Springer Nature

87. Wiley

88. BMJ (publisher)

89. The Lancet / Elsevier journals

90. PLOS (open access editorial jobs)

Agencies, consultancies & specialist writing firms

91. MedThink (specialist health communications)

92. Fishawack Health (medical communications & MSLs)

93. Ashfield (inPS, medical communications)

94. Smythe & co. (local/regional agencies)

95. Ogilvy Health / Edelman Health (global comms agencies)

96. Local PR & health comms agencies in your country — often hire freelance writers for campaigns

Blogs, platforms & places that accept contributions (useful for portfolio)

97. The Conversation (Africa) — academic explainers (pays or syndication). The African Exponent

98. Medium (health) — build audience via long-form posts

99. Substack — niche newsletters (build paid subscribers)

100. Global Health Now (policy explainers)

101. Africa Health Business

102. Devex — oped & analysis pieces (great for development comms)

103. Local hospitals’ blogs, national public health portals — ask to contribute patient info

Other helpful platforms & networks

104. ResearchGate (for research networking and visibility)

105. ORCID (author identifier for published pieces)

106. LinkedIn Publisher / Articles (host samples)

107. GitHub Pages / Carrd / WordPress — for portfolios

108. Local freelance groups & WhatsApp networks (often leads in Africa)

109. Industry networks: AMWA, EMWA, ISMPP (membership & job boards). amwa.org+1

110. Tracxn & StartupList Africa (to discover health startups hiring regionally). Tracxn+1

How to use this list (practical playbook)

1. Week 1 (setup): finish Writing in the Sciences (audit), create three portfolio pieces, set up Carrd/LinkedIn featured. Coursera

2. Week 2–4 (outreach): apply to 5–10 roles weekly across categories: 2 on LinkedIn/Indeed, 2 on freelance marketplaces, 2 directly to CROs/startups from the list.

3. Pitch template (short): 3 lines intro → 1 line sample of work (link) → 1 sentence on the problem you solve → ask for a short paid trial.

4. Keep a tracking sheet (company, role, date applied, follow-up, trial/test). Persistence + testing increases conversion.

Quick templates (copy & paste)

Cold pitch (email/LinkedIn)
Subject: Short sample for [organisation] — plain-language summary on [topic]
Hi [Name], I’m Dr. [Your name], a [specialty] with experience writing plain-language materials for [audience]. I recently prepared a 300-word lay summary of [paper/topic] that may be useful for your patient education materials — here’s the link [link]. If helpful I can do a short paid trial (1 piece/$50) so you can test quality and fit. Thanks — [Name] | [LinkedIn] | [portfolio link]

LinkedIn headline (one line)
Clinical Pharmacist → Medical Writer | Clinical trials & patient education | Remote & flexible

Final tips — what to avoid

• Don’t apply to everything with the same generic CV. Tailor one-line value statement to the role.

• Don’t underprice your first long-form or technical pieces by too much — it trains the market to expect low rates.

• Avoid “spec work” requests (unpaid long assignments). Ask for paid trial or internal sample review.

Five quick, citable resources to bookmark now

• Remote medical writer listings (LinkedIn / Indeed / ZipRecruiter). LinkedIn+2Indeed+2

• Parexel / IQVIA / ICON — large employers of medical writers. jobs.parexel.com+2CCRPS Clinical Research Taininrg+2

• Startup lists and Africa healthtech trackers (StartupList / Tracxn). startuplist.africa+1

• Free courses: Writing in the Sciences (Coursera) & OpenWHO. Coursera+1

• Free Good Clinical Practice (GCP) training options (NIH/NIHR/BiopharmaInstitute/Alison). Grants.gov+2nihr.ac.uk+2